From the exhibition
The Eagle
· January 11, 1903

This Sunday newspaper comic features *The Eagle*, a strip centered on a large bird character who discovers the pleasures of shopping at a department store. The narrative unfolds across multiple panels with speech balloons, following the Eagle's enthusiastic flight through the building and delight at the merchandise on display. The strip exemplifies early 1900s comic construction: sequential panels advancing a simple comedic premise, recurring character, and visual gags based on the contrast between animal behavior and human commerce. Appearing alongside department store advertisements in the Sunday edition, such strips anchored newspaper sections designed to attract readers—a circulation strategy that made illustrated narratives central to American popular culture and established the visual and narrative conventions that would define the comic book medium.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain